Williams is one of five sons of Lester "Chuck" and Barbara Williams of Pittsford.

"The ceremony was very nicely done," his father said. "We appreciated the effort the command put into it.

"This is a very significant award as far as the Marine Corps is concerned," he said. "It should be a huge boost for his career."

While a member of a 15-man joint Afghan National Army and Marine Corps force on July 10, 2012, his citation reads, "the patrol came under intense and accurate fire from a numerically superior force."

"Throughout the following 10-hour engagement, Staff Sgt. Williams took direct action to counter the ambush and repeatedly displayed superior leadership while directing his team under heavy small arms fire from fixed Taliban positions."

During the firefight, his team leader, Jason Pennock, was wounded. Williams "sprinted across 60 meters of open terrain," according to his citation, retrieved Pennock, then carried him over more than 984 feet "of uneven terrain to the medical evacuation platform."

Williams then returned to the battle, killing five enemy fighters and leading the team to safety.

"By his bold leadership, extraordinary initiative and undaunted courage, Staff Sgt. Williams reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United Stated Naval Service," his citation reads.

Williams' father said he got "choked up" when he met Pennock.

Williams is preparing to deploy again in November, according to his father.

Hudson teacher Kevin Reed, who had Williams in class in the late 1990s, called Williams a person of "integrity" and "a quiet leader."

"But when he talked, his teammates and classmates listened," Reed said. "He exemplified a term used by Coach (Chris) Luma in football — he did his job."

Reed said he is not surprised by Williams' actions and subsequent award.

"He was a good teammate, classmate and, most importantly, he is a good person," Reed said.